iPhone Air launch delayed in China over eSIM issues

Apple has postponed preorders of the iPhone Air in mainland China, which were due to open today, with regulatory issues around eSIM almost certainly to blame.

The Chinese store page for the super-slim iPhone says that “release information will be updated later” (translated from Chinese). Apple had originally announced that the Air would go on preorder in China at the same time as in the US, 8AM ET today, with full availability from September 19th. Its other three new iPhones — the 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max — are all available to preorder now, and ship from next week.

The issue is most likely Apple’s decision to make the Air eSIM-only worldwide. eSIM has never been widely available in mainland China, and phones manufactured for the local market still don’t include support (which has tripped me up a few times when I’ve gone traveling in Europe with a review unit of a Chinese phone!). None of Apple’s previous iPhone support eSIM in China, nor do any of the three iPhone 17 models.

Earlier this week Apple’s support page for eSIM in China declared that “China Unicom is the only supported eSIM carrier for iPhone.” That page has now been updated, and says that “pending regulatory approval” all three of the country’s state-owned main carriers will offer eSIM, including China Mobile and China Telecom.

The South China Morning Post reports that Apple has told Chinese media that it is “working closely with regulatory authorities to bring [the iPhone Air] to China as soon as possible.”